Abstract:

Methods of using coded marking patterns in underground facilities locate
operations are disclosed. Coded marking patterns may be dispensed, for
example, on the surface of the ground to indicate types of facilities and
any other useful information about the facilities. In one embodiment,
coded marking patterns are provided that include a combination of marking
material color to indicate types of facilities and unique marking
patterns to indicate any other information about the facilities that may
be beneficial to, for example, excavators and/or any other interested
parties, such as facility owners. In another embodiment, color-agnostic
coded marking patterns include unique marking patterns that may be
dispensed using any color for indicating the types of facilities.

Claims:

1. A method for marking the presence or absence of an underground facility
in a dig area using a marking device that holds a marking dispenser,
comprising:dispensing, with the marking device, marking material to form
on the ground a first marking pattern that indicates a location and a
type of the underground facility; anddispensing, with the marking device,
marking material to form on the ground a second marking pattern that is
representative of information in addition to the location and type of the
underground facility.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first marking pattern
includes a plurality of first marks and the second marking pattern
includes one or more second marks.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the first marks of the first
marking pattern are dispensed along a path of the underground facility.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the second marks of the second
marking pattern are located in gaps between the first marks of the first
marking pattern.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the second marking pattern
comprises at least one coded mark.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the second marking pattern
indicates an importance of the underground facility, a class of the
underground facility, an owner of the underground facility, and/or a
locate company that dispensed the first and second marking patterns.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the second marking pattern
comprises a header with respect to the first marking pattern.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the header is delineated by
header marks.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein dispensing the second marking
pattern includes dispensing a coded pattern of dots and/or dashes.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein dispensing the second marking
pattern includes dispensing one or more characters.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein dispensing second marking
pattern includes dispensing one or more symbols.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first marking pattern
comprises a plurality of first marks separated by gaps and wherein the
second marking pattern comprises second marks in the gaps between the
first marks of the first marking pattern.

13. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the second marking pattern is
located at or near an end of the first marking pattern.

14. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the second marking pattern is
located at or near a middle of the first marking pattern.

15. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein forming the first marking
pattern and forming the second marking pattern includes moving the
marking device with respect to the ground as the marking material is
dispensed on the ground.

16. A method for marking the presence or absence of an underground
facility in a dig area using a marking device that holds a marking
dispenser, comprising:dispensing, with the marking device, marking
material to form a marking pattern that indicates a location and a type
of the underground facility without relying on the color of the marking
pattern to indicate the type of the underground facility.

17. A method as defined in claim 16, further including dispensing, with
the marking device, marking material to form a header at one end of the
marking pattern, the header representative of information in addition to
the location and type of the underground facility.

18. A method as defined in claim 17, wherein the header indicates the
importance of the underground facility, a class of the underground
facility, an owner of the underground facility, and/or the locate company
that dispensed the marking pattern.

19. A method as defined in claim 16, further comprising dispensing, with
the marking device, marking material to form a second marking pattern
that is representative of information in addition to the location and
type of the underground facility.

20. A method as defined in claim 19, wherein the second marking pattern is
formed at one end of the first marking pattern.

[0002]In the construction industry, the process of locating and marking
underground facilities is required prior to any excavation activity. In
this process, locate operations are generally performed at the request of
excavators via a job ticket. A locate technician may use a locate
receiver device and a marking device in order to perform a locate
operation. A locate receiver device is an instrument for detecting
facilities that are concealed in some manner, such as cables and pipes
that are located underground. A locate receiver device detects
electromagnetic fields that are emitted from a facility. A signal, or
lack thereof, detected by the locate receiver device indicates the
presence or absence of a facility. Once the presence or absence of a
facility is detected, a marking material is dispensed on, for example,
the surface of the ground at the location of the facility in order to
communicate the presence or absence of a facility or facilities to an
excavator. Marking material may be any material, substance, compound,
and/or element which may be used separately or in combination to mark,
signify, and/or indicate the presence or absence of a facility. Examples
of marking materials may include, but are not limited to, paint, chalk,
dye, and/or marking powder. Marking devices, such as paint marking wands
and/or paint marking wheels, are used for dispensing marking materials
onto surfaces, such as onto the surface of the ground.

[0003]Standards have been developed by which the color of the marking
material is used to indicate the type of facility. For example, according
to the American Public Works Association (APWA) Uniform Color Codes for
temporary marking of underground facilities, red marking material
indicates electric power lines; yellow marking material indicates gas
lines; orange marking material indicates communication lines, such as,
but not limited to, cable TV lines and fiber-optic communication lines;
blue marking material indicates water lines; green marking material
indicates sewer lines; and so on. Therefore, the color of the marking
material that is dispensed, for example, on the surface of the ground may
be used to communicate to the excavator the type of facility that is
present underground.

[0004]However, while information about the types of facilities present may
be conveyed to excavators by the marking material color, it may be
beneficial for excavators (or other interested parties) to have awareness
of other attributes of the underground facility. For example, while
yellow marking material indicates gas lines, it may be beneficial for the
excavator to know whether the gas line present is a high-pressure or
low-pressure gas line in order to fully understand the risk of excavation
and any precautionary measures that may be needed. Similarly, while
orange marking material indicates communication lines, it may be
beneficial for the excavator to know whether the communication line
present is a high-profile (e.g., large fiber-optic bundle) or low-profile
(e.g., single line drop to a residence) communication line, again, in
order to fully understand the risk of excavation.

[0005]Therefore, because communication mechanisms between locate companies
and excavators are limited, it may be beneficial to develop improved
marking practices that are not limited to conveying the types of
facilities only and, in particular, are able to convey to excavators (or
other interested parties) additional information about the facilities
that have been located.

SUMMARY

[0006]According to a first aspect of the invention, a method is provided
for marking the presence or absence of an underground facility in a dig
area using a marking device that holds a marking dispenser. The method
comprises: dispensing, with the marking device, marking material to form
on the ground a first marking pattern that indicates a location and a
type of the underground facility; and dispensing, with the marking
device, marking material to form on the ground a second marking pattern
that is representative of information in addition to the location and
type of the underground facility.

[0007]According to embodiments of the invention, the first marking pattern
includes a plurality of first marks and the second marking pattern
includes one or more second marks.

[0008]According to embodiments of the invention, the first marks of the
first marking pattern are dispensed along a path of the underground
facility.

[0009]According to embodiments of the invention, the second marks of the
second marking pattern are located in gaps between the first marks of the
first marking pattern.

[0010]According to embodiments of the invention, the second marking
pattern comprises at least one coded mark.

[0011]According to embodiments of the invention, the second marking
pattern indicates an importance of the underground facility.

[0012]According to embodiments of the invention, the second marking
pattern indicates a class of the underground facility.

[0013]According to embodiments of the invention, the second marking
pattern indicates an owner of the underground facility.

[0014]According to embodiments of the invention, the second marking
pattern indicates a locate company that dispensed the first and second
marking patterns.

[0015]According to embodiments of the invention, the second marking
pattern comprises a header with respect to the first marking pattern.

[0016]According to embodiments of the invention, the header is delineated
by header marks.

[0017]According to embodiments of the invention, dispensing the second
marking pattern includes dispensing a coded pattern of dots and dashes.

[0018]According to embodiments of the invention, dispensing the second
marking pattern includes dispensing a coded pattern of dashes.

[0019]According to embodiments of the invention, dispensing the second
marking pattern includes dispensing one or more characters.

[0020]According to embodiments of the invention, dispensing second marking
pattern includes dispensing one or more symbols.

[0021]According to embodiments of the invention, the first marking pattern
comprises a plurality of first marks separated by gaps and wherein the
second marking pattern comprises second marks in the gaps between the
first marks of the first marking pattern.

[0022]According to embodiments of the invention, the second marking
pattern is located at or near an end of the first marking pattern.

[0023]According to embodiments of the invention, the second marking
pattern is located at or near a middle of the first marking pattern.

[0024]According to embodiments of the invention, the second marking
pattern includes marks of a single color.

[0025]According to embodiments of the invention, the first marking pattern
and the second marking pattern include marks of the same color.

[0027]According to embodiments of the invention, forming the first marking
pattern and forming the second marking pattern includes moving the
marking device with respect to the ground as the marking material is
dispensed on the ground.

[0028]According to a second aspect of the invention, a method is provided
for marking the presence or absence of an underground facility in a dig
area using a marking device that holds a marking dispenser. The method
comprises: dispensing, with the marking device, marking material to form
a marking pattern that indicates a location and a type of the underground
facility without relying on the color of the marking pattern to indicate
the type of the underground facility.

[0029]According to embodiments of the invention, the marking pattern
includes a coded pattern of marks to indicate the type of the underground
facility.

[0030]According to embodiments of the invention, the marking pattern
includes marks of a single color.

[0031]According to embodiments of the invention, the marking pattern
includes a coded pattern of dots and dashes to indicate the type of the
underground facility.

[0032]According to embodiments of the invention, the marks of the marking
pattern are dispensed along a path of the underground facility.

[0033]According to embodiments of the invention, the method further
comprises dispensing, with the marking device, marking material to form a
header at one end of the marking pattern, the header representative of
information in addition to the location and type of the underground
facility.

[0034]According to embodiments of the invention, the header is delineated
by header marks.

[0035]According to embodiments of the invention, the header indicates the
importance of the underground facility.

[0036]According to embodiments of the invention, the header indicates a
class of the underground facility.

[0037]According to embodiments of the invention, the header indicates an
owner of the underground facility.

[0038]According to embodiments of the invention, the header indicates the
locate company that dispensed the marking pattern.

[0039]According to embodiments of the invention, the method further
comprises dispensing, with the marking device, marking material to form a
second marking pattern that is representative of information in addition
to the location and type of the underground facility.

[0040]According to embodiments of the invention, the second marking
pattern is formed at one end of the first marking pattern.

[0041]According to embodiments of the invention, forming the marking
pattern includes moving the marking device with respect to the ground as
the marking material is dispensed on the ground.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042]The present disclosure, both as to its organization and manner of
operation, together with further objectives and advantages, may be best
understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection
with the accompanying drawings as set forth below:

[0043]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional marking pattern being
dispensed for indicating underground facilities;

[0044]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example of a coded marking
pattern being dispensed for indicating underground facilities and other
information, according to embodiments of the invention;

[0045]FIG. 3 is a top view of embodiments of coded marking patterns for
indicating underground facilities and other information;

[0046]FIG. 4 is a top view of embodiments of coded marking patterns for
indicating underground facilities and other information;

[0047]FIG. 5 is a top view of embodiments of color-agnostic coded marking
patterns for indicating underground facilities;

[0048]FIG. 6 is a top view of embodiments of coded marking patterns for
indicating underground facilities using alphanumeric characters;

[0049]FIG. 7 is a top view of embodiments of coded marking patterns for
indicating underground facilities using geometric symbols; and

[0050]FIGS. 8A and 8B are top views of embodiments of color-agnostic coded
marking patterns that include "header" information.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051]Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to methods of
using coded marking patterns in underground facilities locate operations
and, in particular, coded marking patterns that may be dispensed, for
example, on the surface of the ground to indicate types of facilities and
any other useful information about the facilities. For example, in one
embodiment, coded marking patterns include a combination of marking
material color to indicate types of facilities and unique marking
patterns to indicate other information about the facilities that may be
beneficial to, for example, excavators and/or any other interested
parties, such as facility owners. In another embodiment, color-agnostic
coded marking patterns include unique marking patterns that may be
dispensed using any color for indicating the types of facilities.

[0052]An aspect of the coded marking patterns of the present invention is
that they provide a mechanism for readily communicating information about
underground facilities to interested parties, such as to excavators
and/or facilities owners. A mechanism for communicating such information
does not otherwise exist in current processes for supporting locate
operations.

[0053]Current marking practices with respect to locate operations may
include dispensing a conventional marking pattern using a marking device,
where the color of marking material correlates to a certain facility
type. Further, the same standard marking pattern may be used for marking
any type of facility. The location of the facility is indicated by the
location of the mark.

[0054]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a conventional
non-coded marking pattern being dispensed for indicating underground
facilities. FIG. 1 shows a conventional marking pattern 100 that is
formed by a line or path of marks 110. In this example, a plurality of
marks 110 is dispensed along the path of a facility 115 by a marking
device 120. Marks 110 are the result of dispensing a marking material 122
from a marking dispenser 124 installed in marking device 120. Each mark
of a standard marking pattern, such as each mark 110 of conventional
marking pattern 100, may be, for example, about 12 inches to 18 inches
long. Further, the gap (g) between marks 110 may be, for example, about 4
feet.

[0055]Additionally, the color of marking material 122 for forming marks
110 depends on the type of facility being marked. Table 1 shows an
example of the correlation of marking material color to the type of
facility to be marked.

[0056]Referring again to FIG. 1, the color of the conventional marking
pattern, such as conventional marking pattern 100, is the only mechanism
by which any information about the facility may be conveyed. Further, the
information conveyed by the color of the conventional marking pattern is
limited to the type of facility. By contrast, FIGS. 2 through 8B show
examples of coded marking patterns of the present invention for not only
indicating the types of facilities, but also for indicating any other
useful information about the facilities.

[0057]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example of a coded marking
pattern 200 being dispensed for indicating underground facilities and
other information. For example, coded marking pattern 200 may include
marks 110, which may be the marks of any standard marking pattern. In the
gaps (g) between marks 110, coded marking pattern 200 also includes one
or more coding marks 210. The color of coded marking pattern 200 may
indicate the type of facility, according, for example, to Table 1. In
addition, specific arrangements of coding marks 210 located in the gaps
(g) between marks 110 may have specified meanings in order to convey
other information about the facility that has been located. More details
of examples of coding marks and their meanings are described with
reference to FIG. 3.

[0058]Marking device 120 may be any marking device that is capable of
dispensing marking material to form a coded marking pattern on the
ground. Marking material may be dispensed onto the ground using marking
devices, such as marking wands, applicators and/or wheels. For example,
marking device 120 may be the marking device that is described in U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 11/696,606, filed Apr. 4, 2007, and published
Oct. 9, 2008, as Publication No. 2008/0245299, entitled "Marking System
and Method" and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/685,602, filed Mar.
13, 2007, and published Sep. 19, 2008 as Publication No. 2008/0228294,
entitled "Marking System and Method with Location and/or Time Tracking",
both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In
other embodiments, a coded marking pattern may be dispensed by a
conventional marking wand including a marking dispenser and a manual
actuator. Any suitable marking device may be utilized to form coded
marking patterns, embodiments of which are disclosed herein.

[0059]FIG. 3 is a top view of examples of types of coded marking patterns
200 for indicating underground facilities and other information. In a
first type of a coded marking pattern 200, no coding marks 210 in the
gaps (g) between marks 110 may indicate a LOW PROFILE (LP) facility. This
coding in combination with the marking color may indicate to the
excavator that the risk or consequence of damage is low for the facility
type indicated.

[0060]In a second type of a coded marking pattern 200, one coding mark 210
in the gaps (g) between marks 110 may indicate a MEDIUM PROFILE (MP)
facility. This coding in combination with the marking color may indicate
to the excavator that the risk or consequence of damage is moderate for
the facility type indicated.

[0061]In a third type of a coded marking pattern 200, two coding marks 210
in the gaps (g) between marks 110 may indicate a HIGH PROFILE (HP)
facility. This coding in combination with the marking color may indicate
to the excavator that the risk or consequence of damage is high for the
facility type indicated.

[0062]In a fourth type of a coded marking pattern 200, three coding marks
210 in the gaps (g) between marks 110 may indicate FIBER (FB) in
connection with indicating fiber-optics communication lines. This coding
in combination with the marking color may indicate to the excavator that
the risk or consequence of damage is high for fiber-optics communication
lines.

[0063]The present invention is not limited to the examples of coded
marking patterns that are shown in FIG. 3. These patterns and meanings
are exemplary only. Any types of coded markings and corresponding
meanings are possible for forming coded marking patterns for use in
locate operations.

[0064]Further to the example, Table 2 illustrates an example of the use of
coded marking patterns 200 with respect to certain types of facilities
and other attributes thereof.

[0065]FIG. 4 is a top view of examples of coded marking patterns 200 for
indicating underground facilities and other information. The coding marks
210 may be dispensed in one or more or all gaps (g) between marks 110 of
coded marking patterns 200, for example, based on the discretion of the
locate technician and/or based on set standards.

[0066]In a first example, FIG. 4 shows a coded marking pattern 410 wherein
coding marks 210 are dispensed in all gaps (g) along the entire path of
the coded marking pattern 200. In a second example, FIG. 4 shows a coded
marking pattern 412 where coding marks 210 are dispensed in the gap (g)
near each end only of the entire path of the coded marking pattern 200.
In a third example, FIG. 4 shows a coded marking pattern 414 where coding
marks 210 are dispensed in a gap (g) near the middle only of the entire
path of the coded marking pattern 200. In a fourth example, FIG. 4 shows
a coded marking pattern 416 where coding marks 210 are dispensed in a gap
(g) near each end and near the middle of the entire path of the coded
marking pattern 200.

[0067]FIG. 5 is a top view of examples of color-agnostic coded marking
patterns 500 for indicating underground facilities. In this embodiment,
rather than using color to indicate the types of facilities, the
color-agnostic coded marking patterns 500 use specific marking patterns
that are dispensed in, for example, "Morse code" fashion in order to
indicate the types of facilities. In this way, any color of marking
material may be dispensed, while still indicating the types of
facilities.

[0068]Referring again to FIG. 5 and to Table 3 below, examples of
color-agnostic coded marking patterns 500 are illustrated.

[0069]The present invention is not limited to the types of color-agnostic
coded marking patterns that are shown in FIG. 5. These patterns and
meanings are exemplary only. Any types of coded markings and
corresponding meanings are possible with respect to forming
color-agnostic coded marking patterns for use in locate operations.

[0070]While the exemplary coded marking patterns shown in FIGS. 2 through
5 utilize patterns of "dots" and/or "dashes," those skilled in the art
will recognize that other marks, characters, and/or symbols may be
incorporated into coded marking patterns. For example, any combinations
of dots, dashes, alphanumeric characters, geometric symbols (e.g.,
circles, rectangles, diamonds, triangles, etc), and so on may be used to
form coded marking patterns for use in locate operations.

[0071]FIG. 6 is a top view of examples of coded marking patterns 600 for
indicating underground facilities using alphanumeric characters. Coded
marking patterns 600 have substantially the same meanings as coded
marking patterns 200 of FIG. 3, except that coding marks 210 of FIG. 3
are replaced with characters. In a first type of a coded marking pattern
600, a coding mark 610 in the shape of the letter "L" is provided in the
gaps (g) between marks 110 in order to indicate the LOW PROFILE (LP)
facility. In a second type of a coded marking pattern 600, a coding mark
612 in the shape of the letter "M" is provided in the gaps (g) between
marks 110 in order to indicate the MEDIUM PROFILE (MP) facility. In a
third type of a coded marking pattern 600, a coding mark 614 in the shape
of the letter "H" is provided in the gaps (g) between marks 110 in order
to indicate the HIGH PROFILE (HP) facility. In a fourth type of a coded
marking pattern 600, a coding mark 616 in the shape of the letter "F" is
provided in the gaps (g) between marks 110 in order to indicate FIBER
(FB) in connection with indicating fiber-optics communication lines.

[0072]FIG. 7 is a top view of examples of coded marking patterns 700 for
indicating underground facilities using geometric symbols. Coded marking
patterns 700 have substantially the same meanings as coded marking
patterns 200 of FIG. 3, except that coding marks 210 of FIG. 3 are
replaced with symbols. In a first type of a coded marking pattern 700, a
coding mark 710 in the shape of a circle is provided in the gaps (g)
between marks 110 in order to indicate the LOW PROFILE (LP) facility. In
a second type of a coded marking pattern 700, a coding mark 712 in the
shape of a square is provided in the gaps (g) between marks 110 in order
to indicate the MEDIUM PROFILE (MP) facility. In a third type of a coded
marking pattern 700, a coding mark 714 in the shape of a triangle is
provided in the gaps (g) between marks 110 in order to indicate the HIGH
PROFILE (HP) facility. In a fourth type of a coded marking pattern 700, a
coding mark 716 in the shape of a diamond is provided in the gaps (g)
between marks 110 in order to indicate FIBER (FB) in connection with
indicating fiber-optics communication lines.

[0073]Further, in addition to indicating information, such as the facility
type and other attributes of the facility itself, coded marking patterns
may be provided to indicate any useful information, such as, but not
limited to, the facility owner name and/or the locate company name. In
one example, codes may be provided to indicate certain facility owners
and/or locate companies. Table 4 below shows example codes of various
companies.

[0074]The information, such as shown in Table 4, may be encoded, for
example, as "header" information with any coded marking pattern. In one
example, the coded "header" information may indicate the name of the
facility owner and/or the name of the locate company. FIGS. 8A and 8B are
top views of examples of color-agnostic coded marking patterns 800 that
include "header" information (such as information of Table 4).

[0075]FIG. 8A shows a color-agnostic coded marking pattern 800 that
includes marking pattern 530 of FIG. 5 (i.e., an electric power line) in
combination with coded "header" information that includes, for example, a
section 810 and a section 812 bounded by header marks 814. In this
example and referring to Table 4, section 810 includes the code for ABC
Electric Co., which is the facility owner, and section 812 includes the
code for QRS Locate Co., which is the locate company.

[0076]FIG. 8B shows a color-agnostic coded marking pattern 820 that
includes marking pattern 550 of FIG. 5 (i.e., a communications line) in
combination with coded "header" information that includes section 810 and
section 812 bounded by header marks 814. In this example and referring to
Table 4, section 810 includes the code for DEF Cable Inc., which is the
facility owner, and section 812 includes the code for MNP Locate Co.,
which is the locate company.

[0077]In summary and referring to FIGS. 2 through 8B, the coded marking
patterns of the present invention may be dispensed, for example, on the
surface of the ground to indicate both the types of facilities and any
other useful information about the facilities. For example, in one
embodiment of the present invention, coded marking patterns, such as
coded marking patterns 200, 600, and 700, include a combination of
marking material color to indicate types of facilities and unique marking
patterns to indicate any other information about the facilities that may
be beneficial to any interested parties. In another embodiment of the
present invention, color-agnostic coded marking patterns, such as
color-agnostic coded marking patterns 500, include unique marking
patterns that may be dispensed using any color for indicating the types
of facilities. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, coded
marking patterns, such as color-agnostic coded marking patterns 800,
include coded "header" information.

[0078]The coded marking patterns 200, 600, 700 and 800 each include a
first marking pattern which indicates facility type, such as by color
(patterns 200, 600 and 700) or by coded marks (pattern 800), and a second
marking pattern that is representative of other information. The coded
marking patterns 500 include a single marking pattern that indicates
facility type by coded marks.

[0079]Further, the coded marking patterns of the present invention, such
as coded marking patterns 200, 600, and 700 and/or color-agnostic coded
marking patterns 500 and 800, provide a mechanism for communicating
information about underground facilities that have been located to any
interested parties, which does not otherwise exist in current processes
for supporting locate operations.

[0080]Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of
this invention, it is to be appreciated various alterations,
modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in
the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended
to be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit
and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and
drawings are by way of example only.